Your phone: is it your property?

[Myweponsg00d]

"Invention is the mother of necessity." -Thorstein Veblen, philosopher

 

This quote, a play on the original "Necessity is the mother of invention" shines a light on many of our modern devices.

 

Your cellphone: where is it right now? On your desk? In your pocket? Strapped to your belt like a firearm? Glued to your head for convenience?

 

Take a step back, and imagine what life would be like without your mobile phone. How would people know where you were at every second of the day? How could you possibly Tweet more than 10 times a day if you didn't have the option to do it while you were walking down the street?

 

I hate phones. Absolutely hate them. This technology is destroying life as we know it. Imagine a day when you leave your phone at home...

 

Your mother: "Where were you the other day?! I called your cell about 100 times!"

Your friends: "Man we were trying to invite you to go bowling at the last possible second, but you didnt answer your cell!"

Your girlfriend(s): "Why didn't you tell me what you thought of that picture-message I sent you of that cute dress??"

 

Having a cell phone in today's world is no longer a luxury; it is an expectation. If you have no answer to "What's your cell phone number?" people will look at you like a freak. If you don't carry your little companion cube with you everywhere you go, PEOPLE FREAK OUT. For some reason, in the past 20-30 years people have developed the need to instantly communicate with someone anywhere on the globe at any time. Nevermind the fact that we existed for thousands of years without the power of stalking someones life. If you really wanted to see someone, you went to their home. If they weren't home: then you just went somewhere else and realised that there are thousands of days if your life, and you do not really need to see this person right now.

 

The cell phone industry has done nothing for us but manufacture false needs. Your car breaks down? You NEED your cell! God forbid you might have to WALK SOMEWHERE. You want to see a friend? You NEED to call him first! That surely will change his availability to you...and now you don't need to actually make plans to see people. You can just pester them every day, on the spur of the moment, until they have nothing better to do.

 

So do you guys own your cell? Or does it own you?

 

Just to clarify:

The intent of this thread is to discuss whether or not you feel comfortable with the idea that cell phone technology is becoming a mandatory posession (which society expects you to carry at all times).

[Napalm]

I'm the kind of guy who carries his cellphone arround but I rarely ever answer most of the text messages. I agree with most of what you said, it's pretty stupid seeing how everyone suddenly feels the need to text someone back just the second they get a message.

[assassin_696]

I think you're trying to throw the baby out with the bathwater in an attempt to be contrarian.

 

Of course we don't need to walk around with our mobile phones always on us and be available all the time. But just think of the improved efficiency you can get from them for business or socialising. And more importantly, the number of lives they've saved because people can get in touch when they're in trouble. Telling an 80 year old woman who's car's broken down on a dark road at night to "take a walk" is just silly.

 

Culture and society evolves, I'm all in favour of occasional nostaligia but to go back to a world without mobile phones would be completely pointless. If you've got the time/lifestyle where you can be relaxed about getting in touch with someone for something important then that's great, but not all of us do.

[Saru Inc]

Wha? I almost thought you were trolling OP, as it's simply ridiculous. It IS ridiculous to not have a cell phone, because they are so cheap now a days. And the only reasons we got around thousands of years without them, was because they *weren't* invented. I'm sure however if you gave the pilgrims some iphones they wouldn't say no? Necessities for the human race change, hundreds of years ago it wasn't a necessity to go to school. I mean c'mon, we got around with no school for %100 of peasants for thousands of years! What if you're car does break down? Are you willing to walk 15 miles in the middle of a sleet storm in December? Extreme circumstances maybe, but don't think people haven't had to do it. I'm not trying to come across as harsh, because I do think the emphasis is a tad ridiculous, but they *are* a necessity.

 

On a side note, I want the Nexus One :( I have the HTC Dream (first ever google phone) and it sucks so bad... But I need to keep it til April '11 so I can get a discounted phone. ARGH.

 

 

Off-topic: I. Hate. Twitter.

[Myweponsg00d]

I think you're trying to throw the baby out with the bathwater in an attempt to be contrarian.

 

Of course we don't need to walk around with our mobile phones always on us and be available all the time. But just think of the improved efficiency you can get from them for business or socialising. And more importantly, the number of lives they've saved because people can get in touch when they're in trouble. Telling an 80 year old woman who's car's broken down on a dark road at night to "take a walk" is just silly.

 

Culture and society evolves, I'm all in favour of occasional nostaligia but to go back to a world without mobile phones would be completely pointless. If you've got the time/lifestyle where you can be relaxed about getting in touch with someone for something important then that's great, but not all of us do.

 

Which is why I put my mobile in my car and usually keep it there. I don't really mean to say if cell phones are definitely "good" or "bad", but there is no doubt that they are no longer an invention of luxury but rather a necessity to be part of today's culture.

 

But I encourage you to reconsider the definition of "important" or "urgent" and also evaluate the context of our emotional response.

 

If an "urgent" piece of information needs to be conveyed today, people take "urgent" to mean NOW. They NEED to get ahold of you NOW and it causes a panic if they don't hear from you in a day.

 

Before, something different was just expected. If you were trying to get ahold of someone, and even went to their house and saw they weren't there, you wouldn't go into a panic and say "Ahhh!! Why isn't there a way for this to happen INSTANTLY?!" You just knew that people weren't going to be available 24/7, and they knew it too.

 

I don't think that handling an "urgent" issue is a necessity, and I don't think instant grantifaction is any "better" than interaction with people on an uncertain timeframe. Especially if the former means that every human needs to carry a radiation-emitting device with them 24/7.

[____]

I own my phone, I really only have one so that people can contact me when I'm not home. In regards to sms's... if they're not urgent they don't get an instant reply.

Calls are another matter tho, I generally try to respond to them sooner rather than later since they tend to be important the majority of the time.

[qeltar]

My phones don't own me, for the same reason my email doesn't own me, and my chat in RS doesn't own me.

 

You have some oddly contradictory views when it comes to phone use and in-game chat.

[Myweponsg00d]

My phones don't own me, for the same reason my email doesn't own me, and my chat in RS doesn't own me.

 

You have some oddly contradictory views when it comes to phone use and in-game chat.

 

Theres a complete difference on what we are talking about here. The topic on PMing is talking about privacy concerns, and people "bothering you"

 

This post is about man inventing an object that does not serve him, but dominates him.

 

Wha? I almost thought you were trolling OP, as it's simply ridiculous. It IS ridiculous to not have a cell phone, because they are so cheap now a days. And the only reasons we got around thousands of years without them, was because they *weren't* invented. I'm sure however if you gave the pilgrims some iphones they wouldn't say no? Necessities for the human race change, hundreds of years ago it wasn't a necessity to go to school. I mean c'mon, we got around with no school for %100 of peasants for thousands of years! What if you're car does break down? Are you willing to walk 15 miles in the middle of a sleet storm in December? Extreme circumstances maybe, but don't think people haven't had to do it. I'm not trying to come across as harsh, because I do think the emphasis is a tad ridiculous, but they *are* a necessity.

 

Saru, the point of the topic is whether or not we should be comfortable with the fact that it is an expectation that all people carry around some stupid little electronic device all the time. Your phone is not an object that you have for luxury, but is now a societal expectation.

 

How long will it be before we have more technology that develops the same context?

 

When they draw pictures of the human body in anatomy textbooks, they are going to need to start drawing a little blue-tooth headset on the guy.

[Ermy]

Don't know if this has any relation, but has anyone ever lost their phone in a real obvious place? I mean I've lost it a couple of times on my window sill after closing my blind.

[Saru Inc]

My phones don't own me, for the same reason my email doesn't own me, and my chat in RS doesn't own me.

 

You have some oddly contradictory views when it comes to phone use and in-game chat.

 

Theres a complete difference on what we are talking about here. The topic on PMing is talking about privacy concerns, and people "bothering you"

 

This post is about man inventing an object that does not serve him, but dominates him.

 

Wha? I almost thought you were trolling OP, as it's simply ridiculous. It IS ridiculous to not have a cell phone, because they are so cheap now a days. And the only reasons we got around thousands of years without them, was because they *weren't* invented. I'm sure however if you gave the pilgrims some iphones they wouldn't say no? Necessities for the human race change, hundreds of years ago it wasn't a necessity to go to school. I mean c'mon, we got around with no school for %100 of peasants for thousands of years! What if you're car does break down? Are you willing to walk 15 miles in the middle of a sleet storm in December? Extreme circumstances maybe, but don't think people haven't had to do it. I'm not trying to come across as harsh, because I do think the emphasis is a tad ridiculous, but they *are* a necessity.

 

Saru, the point of the topic is whether or not we should be comfortable with the fact that it is an expectation that all people carry around some stupid little electronic device all the time. Your phone is not an object that you have for luxury, but is now a societal expectation.

 

How long will it be before we have more technology that develops the same context?

 

When they draw pictures of the human body in anatomy textbooks, they are going to need to start drawing a little blue-tooth headset on the guy.

 

Umm I do believe it is an acceptable necessity in todays society.

 

Don't know if this has any relation, but has anyone ever lost their phone in a real obvious place? I mean I've lost it a couple of times on my window sill after closing my blind.

 

I once lost it in my pocket. fml

[Myweponsg00d]

 

Umm I do believe it is an acceptable necessity in todays society.

 

 

Why is it acceptable that you have to carry a posession of yours with you at all times? How would you feel about a friend if he stopped using his cell?

[Saru Inc]

 

Umm I do believe it is an acceptable necessity in todays society.

 

 

Why is it acceptable that you have to carry a posession of yours with you at all times? How would you feel about a friend if he stopped using his cell?

 

That he doesn't want to be contacted. Lol. If it was for money problems I'd completely understand, but to stop just to stop? A tad weird...

[magekillr]

I'm not much of a cellphone guy. A lot of my friends think I'm screening their calls when I don't answer, when in fact my phone is just sitting on my desk charging or something and I'm not home. I've been using it more lately, but compared to everyone else around me, I barely use it at all.

[Sy_Accursed]

I think blaming the cellphone is a ridiculous way about things.

Things always get invented to improve life, and most business and then these filter down to the everyday.

 

For centuries we have been working to making life easier so we know what's going on with who and where, this demand meant cellphones were invented to allow business to run more efficiently. Public demand then let them filter down to the public domain.

 

It is our own demand that the created them and our own wish to stay in communication that compels us to use them. Do we depend on them more than we should? Probably but that is how life works.

I mean we depend on ovens and microwaves and cars and trains and planes and light bulbs and central heating and everything else, they are no different to mobile phones.

[qeltar]

A cell phone is not a necessity unless you need it for business, or you have personal obligations that require you to always be reachable.

 

In all other cases, it should be used when *you* want to use it, not when others insist on demanding your time.

 

Exactly like chat in RS.

[Saru Inc]

A cell phone is not a necessity unless you need it for business, or you have personal obligations that require you to always be reachable.

 

In all other cases, it should be used when *you* want to use it, not when others insist on demanding your time.

 

Exactly like chat in RS.

 

 

 

Yep. I just find the people who are on the anti-cell phone brigade a bit weird. Are they jealous? Or what? It just seems like an unfounded rebellion. Anyways, I along with Magekillr rarely ever call on my phone, I work at a phone answering place for 40 hours a week, I do not want to be on the phone when I get home. Although I do text a lot :D

[unkn0wnwarrior]

I can honestly say my phone does not own me. I do take it most places, though. Some places, such as work, I take it for 2 reasons. Hockey/Baseball scores and in case I need a ride home (as sometimes my mom stays late). Other places, it is just in case something bad were to happen, they could contact me.

 

I should probably mention that I went for my first 19 years+ without one.

[Romy]

I think you're trying to throw the baby out with the bathwater in an attempt to be contrarian.

 

Of course we don't need to walk around with our mobile phones always on us and be available all the time. But just think of the improved efficiency you can get from them for business or socialising. And more importantly, the number of lives they've saved because people can get in touch when they're in trouble. Telling an 80 year old woman who's car's broken down on a dark road at night to "take a walk" is just silly.

 

Culture and society evolves, I'm all in favour of occasional nostaligia but to go back to a world without mobile phones would be completely pointless. If you've got the time/lifestyle where you can be relaxed about getting in touch with someone for something important then that's great, but not all of us do.

 

Which is why I put my mobile in my car and usually keep it there. I don't really mean to say if cell phones are definitely "good" or "bad", but there is no doubt that they are no longer an invention of luxury but rather a necessity to be part of today's culture.

 

But I encourage you to reconsider the definition of "important" or "urgent" and also evaluate the context of our emotional response.

 

If an "urgent" piece of information needs to be conveyed today, people take "urgent" to mean NOW. They NEED to get ahold of you NOW and it causes a panic if they don't hear from you in a day.

 

Before, something different was just expected. If you were trying to get ahold of someone, and even went to their house and saw they weren't there, you wouldn't go into a panic and say "Ahhh!! Why isn't there a way for this to happen INSTANTLY?!" You just knew that people weren't going to be available 24/7, and they knew it too.

 

I don't think that handling an "urgent" issue is a necessity, and I don't think instant grantifaction is any "better" than interaction with people on an uncertain timeframe. Especially if the former means that every human needs to carry a radiation-emitting device with them 24/7.

 

Well, there isn't much difference between a car (you even claim to own one) and a cellphone by that definition. Both are considered a necessity nowdays, cars perhaps only after a certain age.

 

 

We're dependant on cars today, it's almost as if we'd be lost without cars.

 

 

 

 

As for wanting things instantly, I don't think the reason is the invention of cellphones, but rather what we were taught from young age.

Today, a 3 year old with access to the internet, can just click something and millions of virtual fireworks will just fill his screen and try their best at catching his attention. What do you think that 3 year old will do in the "real" world? He'd expect it to be amazing and joyful, and instantly at that. Why shouldn't he? Just a click, and the world is set by categories infront of your eyes, why shouldn't ice cream and toys be the same? Why shouldn't communication be the same? Why shouldn't phones become a necessity?

[Rainy_Day]

I have my phone on me at all times (it's in my view currently!), but it's not just a means of contacting someone else or someone else contacting me, it's a means to get updated on the news, play games, browse the internet, find information on the spot etc. I probably wouldn't survive without my phone as I am often using it to keep in contact with people

 

A world without mobile phones would be far worse than a world with them. Some people may rely on their phones too much, but then again there's nothing wrong with that. It's a technology there to be used, and if you don't have a mobile phone in this day and age, you tend to be out of touch.

[tortilliachp]

this discussion would be a lot more interesting if it were about facebook :twisted:

 

the battle over cell phones is long lost, but facebook still has people that don't use it. :ohnoes:

[Myweponsg00d]

A cell phone is not a necessity unless you need it for business, or you have personal obligations that require you to always be reachable.

 

In all other cases, it should be used when *you* want to use it, not when others insist on demanding your time.

 

Exactly like chat in RS.

 

And I support turning chat OFF when you dont want to use it.

 

This topic is about dependancy on an object of technology.

 

The other topic is about un-necessarily limiting your interaction with strangers in an online gaming community.

 

The two threads are different. I'm sorry that you feel the need to draw illogical parallels just to validate your view.

[Skeptical]

This is a very strange thread. After an initial flurry of posting, I predict it dying.

 

I have a phone, as it was a gift. I do carry it when I leave the house, although I probably only use it about once a week. It's just a tool, nothing more. When I go for a walk with my dogs and carry a knife and a cell phone, they have a very similar function.

[Myweponsg00d]

Well, there isn't much difference between a car (you even claim to own one) and a cellphone by that definition. Both are considered a necessity nowdays, cars perhaps only after a certain age.

 

We're dependant on cars today, it's almost as if we'd be lost without cars.

 

As for wanting things instantly, I don't think the reason is the invention of cellphones, but rather what we were taught from young age.

Today, a 3 year old with access to the internet, can just click something and millions of virtual fireworks will just fill his screen and try their best at catching his attention. What do you think that 3 year old will do in the "real" world? He'd expect it to be amazing and joyful, and instantly at that. Why shouldn't he? Just a click, and the world is set by categories infront of your eyes, why shouldn't ice cream and toys be the same? Why shouldn't communication be the same? Why shouldn't phones become a necessity?

 

There is a strong parallel here, but I use my car for what I need to. Anywhere closer than 10 miles and I usually bike it. Anywhere closer than 3 miles is usually walked.

 

Also, we are not EXPECTED to take our car everywhere. We don't go to dinner at a restaurant and sit in our car. If we don't take our car on vacation, it is not "strange."

 

If you tell people that you dont use a cell phone, or don't usually have it on you, they will look at you like you forgot to put pants on that morning. Mobiles are no longer a device that we use when necessary, but rather a part of our humanity.

 

 

 

That he doesn't want to be contacted. Lol. If it was for money problems I'd completely understand, but to stop just to stop? A tad weird...

 

Saru, you are still avoiding the point of the discussion. Why is it okay for people to be expected to carry around a radiation-emmitting device 24/7? WHY is he weird if your friend wants to feel like a human, and not a robot? He is a weirdo because he doesn't want to depend on a small hunk of plastic to define his personality?

 

Honestly, most of us have our mobiles implanted in us. Well, not literally. They may not actually be INSIDE of you, but what is the difference, really? Both a cell phone and an implant would be with you all day every day.

[Romy]

People would look the same at a 30 year old without a car. It's just odd today, after that specific piece of technology is so natural to us.

 

 

 

A car is used to go from point A, to point B. If we could use cars properly and have them at the size of a cellphone, I assure you people would take their cars everywhere.

 

 

 

 

And again, cellphones are not the ones to cause that 'problem', but rather the way society had developed thus far.

[Myweponsg00d]

People would look the same at a 30 year old without a car. It's just odd today, after that specific piece of technology is so natural to us.

 

A car is used to go from point A, to point B. If we could use cars properly and have them at the size of a cellphone, I assure you people would take their cars everywhere.

 

And again, cellphones are not the ones to cause that 'problem', but rather the way society had developed thus far.

 

Again, what I would like to discuss in this thread is why you do or don't feel comfortable with such technology becoming a part of what you have on you at all times.

 

You say that, if cars could be carried around in the size of a mobile phone, people would take their cars everywhere too.

 

BUT, my question is whether this is good or bad, to become one with your technology.

 

I mean if you could get your head chopped off and put inside a fully-functional robotic human body, would you?